Pages

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

UK keen on participating in 'smart city' project

"So meeting the challenges of
urabanisation, getting India ready for the bigger picture, the preparedness and
responses is absolutely crucial. So bringing expertise is one aspect to
that," she said at function.

NEW DELHI: The UK on Friday
expressed its keeness to actively participate in Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's ambitious project to develop smart cities across India.

"Prime Minister Modi
is deeply ambitious and we want him to be successful when it comes to the
delivery of smart cities. And we know we have the assistance and expertise to
really add value," UK International Development Secretary Priti Patel said
here.

"So meeting the
challenges of urabanisation, getting India ready for the bigger picture, the
preparedness and responses is absolutely crucial. So bringing expertise is one
aspect to that," she said at function.

Earlier in the day, she met
with Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and announced the UK will share
its skills and expertise to drive forward India's vision for new smart cities
and boost opportunities for new businesses.

Stressing that the UK and
India share unique relationship, Patel said the referendum in the UK has
"now redefined" the relationship and "elevated it in terms of
our place in the world.

"...development
opportunities between the UK and India and also India and the rest of the world
are absolutely enormous," she said terming India as a "growing and
thriving economic power house".

She said counter terrorism
and national security are the areas where "we stand shoulder to shoulder
with India".

During her three-day India
visit, she will call on Modi and several ministers. She will also meet the UK
and Indian business, industry and investment representatives. She
will call on the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister in Bhopal.

She also called on Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley to discuss ways in which the two governments can
strengthen links between key economic institutions and centers of excellence in
the two countries.

The two ministers also
discussed the transformed UK-India development partnership which was underlined
by Modi's UK visit late last year.

An official statement said the UK support announced by Patel will come
from the UK's Department for International Development and includes technical
support for 'Smart Cities Mission' which will see British expertise helping
plan, design and build smart cities.